The problems with ESPN and its website.

[Eleven]

The television station has been unwatchable for quite some time.  

 

Today, on the website:

 

 

TOP HEADLINES

• Jays' Benoit tears calf during melee vs. Yanks
• Miami OF declined invite to join Fernandez on boat
• Ronda Rousey wants super fight with 'Cyborg'
• Curry indicates he plans to re-sign with Warriors

• Legends' exit makes LeBron contemplate his time
• Serena: 'Won't be silent' about racial tensions

 

 

Are we kidding?  The top story is about a freaking relief pitcher.

 

Three of the other five aren't about sports.

 

One is about Ronda Rousey, whose fifteen minutes expired fifteen weeks ago.

 

The last is about Steph Curry re-signing with Golden State, which is about as academic as me declaring that I'll root for the Sabres this season.

 

What the hell happened, and why?  Was ESPN Trumped down?

•  
•  

[LGR4GM]

They only care about click bait crap and specifically about Football, Basketball, and Baseball in that order.

[Sabel79]

Also, they've gone more or less all in on professional wrestling.  Um, no thanks. 

[Two or less]

I'm a big believer in NBC sports and what they have done for hockey, and hope the NHL doesnt return to ESPN anytime soon, but i do hope NBC fixes some of their flaws as well. I feel like NBC hasn't done anything to change anything about their coverage in like 3 years.

[Eleven]

Also, they've gone more or less all in on professional wrestling.  Um, no thanks. 

 

The Time Is Now.

[Sabel79]

The Time Is Now.

That's either a wrestling reference I don't get or the most existential thing I've heard in awhile. 

[JJFIVEOH]

WOOOOOOOOOO!

[Thorner]

You can't see me.

Hustle, Loyaly, and Respect.

[Sabel79]

Heh.  I got JJ's. 

[Sabel79]

To be the man you've gotta beat the man.

ALRIGHT YOU GUYS, ENOUGH! :wallbash:

[inkman]

I will never understand how grown men like to watch that crap. I've tried to engage some of my co-workers who live for it and it's like we are differnt species.

[SwampD]

I will never understand how grown men like to watch that crap. I've tried to engage some of my co-workers who live for it and it's like we are differnt species.

I feel the same way about people who watch poker (which took the place of the NHL on ESPN).

I feel the need to say that I really enjoy listening to Steve Levy and Barry Melrose doing hockey, though. They get it. It's supposed to be fun.

[Eleven]

That's either a wrestling reference I don't get or the most existential thing I've heard in awhile. 

 

Some crappy song that John Cena wrote.  I'm ashamed to even know about it.

[bcsaberks]

I'm a big believer in NBC sports and what they have done for hockey, and hope the NHL doesnt return to ESPN anytime soon, but i do hope NBC fixes some of their flaws as well. I feel like NBC hasn't done anything to change anything about their coverage in like 3 years.

And their F1 coverage is very good.  And cycling  :bag: .  It's the anti-ESPN and I'm grateful.

[That Aud Smell]

And their F1 coverage is very good.  And cycling  :bag: .  It's the anti-ESPN and I'm grateful.

 

And the EPL. I pray English soccer doesn't return to ESPN. Ever.

[WildCard]

The problem with ESPN is they've completely lost why they exist in the first place: highlights. All I want to see is the highlights, that's it. Instead I get 35m of talking heads yelling about celebrities and a 10m segment about how some high school football team is so inspirational for rallying over a fload.

 

MLB Network and NHL Network, all highlights, that's it. If you want analysis or talking heads, they have programs for that, but their main shows are dedicated to showing you every out, home run, and goal from every game

Edited September 28, 2016 by WildCard

[LGR4GM]

I love it when ESPN randomly talks about hockey. On Sunday or even some Saturdays when you are getting ready for Football (only time I watch ESPN) and they randomly talk hockey. They only care about 3 things, Certain Players (Crosby, Ovechkin, Chicago), were there fights?, and finally Sidney Crosby. Crosby gets double mentioned because they literally care more about him than anything else in the hockey world. 

[That Aud Smell]

In fairness, there are other sports media properties out there -- e.g., Deadspin -- that pushed ESPN to become more of a generalized entertainment outlet with a sports focus.

 

But, even so: F--- ESPN, man.

[Cereal]

Is there a better source for college football news and content?  Because that's the main reason I tune in to ESPN.com on a regular basis.

[LGR4GM]

Is there a better source for college football news and content?  Because that's the main reason I tune in to ESPN.com on a regular basis.

No. ESPN's coverage of College Football I would say is fantastic. 

[Eleven]

No. ESPN's coverage of College Football I would say is fantastic. 

 

Yes, the ceaseless coverage of Manziel and Tebow is out of this world.

[Samson's Flow]

And to think, when I was younger I used to watch ESPN Sportscenter non-stop for multiple hours - for the highlights.

 

Now if you keep Sportscenter on you maybe get 20 minutes of highlights and 40 minutes of sports personalities speculating on upcoming games. The whole model has changed (for the worse). I usually watch MLB Network more than ESPN now-a-days.

[MattPie]

And to think, when I was younger I used to watch ESPN Sportscenter non-stop for multiple hours - for the highlights.

 

Now if you keep Sportscenter on you maybe get 20 minutes of highlights and 40 minutes of sports personalities speculating on upcoming games. The whole model has changed (for the worse). I usually watch MLB Network more than ESPN now-a-days.

 

I wonder how much this shift is driven by highlights on the internet. Many moons ago, there wasn't a reasonable way to see highlights other than EPSN and the like. Now, I'm not going to sit through an hour of TV to watch the minute (at best!) of highlights from the game I'm interested in; I'll just go to youtube and watch the 3-minute video. ESPN has to offer something more than "youtube highlight video aggregator", which they've gone to annoying personalities trying to cover all popular sports. Speaking of video aggregators, I'm betting there's a youtube playlist or other web site that essentially finds all the highlight videos from the night before and plays them back to back.

[WildCard]

I wonder how much this shift is driven by highlights on the internet. Many moons ago, there wasn't a reasonable way to see highlights other than EPSN and the like. Now, I'm not going to sit through an hour of TV to watch the minute (at best!) of highlights from the game I'm interested in; I'll just go to youtube and watch the 3-minute video. ESPN has to offer something more than "youtube highlight video aggregator", which they've gone to annoying personalities trying to cover all popular sports. Speaking of video aggregators, I'm betting there's a youtube playlist or other web site that essentially finds all the highlight videos from the night before and plays them back to back.

I still can't find good highlights for baseball. If that YouTube channel exists for stringing together all highlights, I'm gonna need that

[Samson's Flow]

I wonder how much this shift is driven by highlights on the internet. Many moons ago, there wasn't a reasonable way to see highlights other than EPSN and the like. Now, I'm not going to sit through an hour of TV to watch the minute (at best!) of highlights from the game I'm interested in; I'll just go to youtube and watch the 3-minute video. ESPN has to offer something more than "youtube highlight video aggregator", which they've gone to annoying personalities trying to cover all popular sports. Speaking of video aggregators, I'm betting there's a youtube playlist or other web site that essentially finds all the highlight videos from the night before and plays them back to back.

Good point, but i'm not going to be sitting in front of my laptop searching through Youtube for the highlights while I am sitting eating my breakfast in the morning. Sportscenter to me was always passive watching/background noise but instead of looking up to see a sweet catch or home run, I am now looking at Stephen A Smith's ugly mug.